This invention relates to a pad placeable on a weight-lifter bench for absorbing the weight of a person in a lithotomy position during the weight-lifting process.
A weight-lifting exercise is frequently accomplished with a bench. The person reclines in a lithotomy position on the bench with his feet on the floor and his head facing upwardly. He raises and lowers a set of barbells with his arms.
One problem with this weight-lifting exercise is that the person's body has only limited contact with the bench; the principal contact areas are the person's head, shoulder blades, and buttocks. Areas out of contact with the bench are unsupported and subject to localized stress during the weight-lifting operation. Such unsupported areas comprise primarily the person's neck, spine, and hips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,633, granted to B. Lemire, suggests that stresses on the weight-lifter's body can be reduced by the use of two transverse pads at specific points along the bench. One pad is positioned underneath the person's neck. A second pad is constructed for placement underneath the lower spinal (lumbar) area of the person. The combination of the two pads effectively increases the support area underneath the person's body, and thus minimizes the risk of injury incident to the weight-lifting exercise.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,109 discloses an inflatable flexible pillow (or bladder) usable on a weight-lifter bench underneath the lumbar area of the person to increase the area of support for the person. A hand-operated air pump enables the person to adjust the inflated height of the pillow, in accordance with the most comfortable condition for each particular person using the bench.